What we 

 stand for 

We believe everyone in the greater Logan area needs…

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A stable home is fundamental to achieve independence and participation.

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Some families need help to create safe environments where every member can thrive.

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All of our programs and services promote skills development, from coping to financial literacy and work-related training.

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We help people to increase their income through work and to manage their money.

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Connections with others, and with supports and services, are necessary for participation in community life.

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We help people raise their expectations for the future and their confidence in their ability to succeed.

Everyone needs a home

We believe secure housing is a basic right. A stable home provides a foundation so people can focus on working, parenting, connecting with others and building successful lives. To achieve this, people may need to learn to pay rent, maintain their property and be good neighbours.

Children cannot thrive when their families don’t have secure homes. Children need stable accommodation so they can connect with school, friends, the wider community and the services they need.

We put housing first in our case management work. We help our clients find a place to live or keep their current home, develop their ability to maintain a tenancy and link with supports they might need to stabilise their housing.

We want
a system that makes housing affordable for all, prevents homelessness, houses homeless people fast and supports people to maintain stable housing. 

Everyone needs safety

We believe people have the right to be safe in their relationships and their communities. People who threaten other people’s safety need to be held accountable and change their behaviour, particularly perpetrators of domestic and family violence and child abuse. To achieve this, people need to learn how to have respectful relationships.

Children cannot thrive in homes where they or their parents are not safe from abuse or violence. Children need parents and the wider community to put their safety and wellbeing first.

We work with perpetrators of domestic violence to build accountability and relationship skills. We support victims of domestic violence to find safe ways to live and rebuild their lives. We promote respectful relationships through work with young people and the wider community to understand respect and live it every day.

We want
grass roots prevention work to help young people develop safe relationships in every aspect of their lives. We want a legal system and properly funded services that help victims of violence to leave without losing everything. We want perpetrators of violence to take responsibility for changing their behaviours.

Find out more about YFS’ youth-led respectful relationships program R4Respect.

Everyone needs skills

We believe everyone needs skills for life, and education and training are important for economic participation. Completing school or gaining a qualification can be a foundation for success. Skills like resilience and coping are essential to navigate life’s uncertainties. And we all need to learn skills for roles like being a parent, being in relationships and negotiating systems. Some people miss out on building essential skills, and need help to acquire these later in life.

Children need to attend school and high-quality early learning before they reach school age is important for their development. Sometimes school or child care can provide stability that might be missing in other parts of life. Children’s skill development can be interrupted by trauma, adversity or a lack of role models. 

We focus on good school habits with our clients, helping children and young people enrol, attend and complete school. We provide opportunities to learn skills through our social enterprises and all our case management programs encourage people to gain skills to avoid future crises.

We want a child care and pre-school system that is affordable for people on low incomes so their children get the benefit of early learning programs to prepare them for school. We need alternatives for people who can’t engage in traditional schooling or haven’t completed school. We want a system that enables all children and young people to succeed in learning, and supports adults to catch up on skills they missed learning earlier.    

Find out about our team who supports young people.

Everyone needs a decent income

We believe people need to live above the poverty line to achieve a reasonable quality of life and to avoid financial stress. Employment is the best pathway out of poverty for those who are able to work.

Children need resources to succeed. They need good food, education, opportunities to participate in other activities, and adequate clothing and shelter.

We support clients to take control of their financial situations. We encourage people to learn to manage their money well and make good financial decisions. We work with people to build their ability to earn a decent living.

We want better support for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to build the skills, confidence and resources to move into the workforce so they can be economically independent. For those who are not able to work, YFS advocates for increases to government benefits to enable people to live above the poverty line.

Find out about our preparing for work programs, which help parents of young children get ready to enter the workforce, and our managing money and debts programs, which help people manage their finances.

Also, Substation33 helps people gain work experience in a supportive environment.

Everyone needs connections with others

We believe people have fuller lives when they can participate in community life. Recreational, social and volunteering activities help people build relationships and be included. Informal networks like family and friends can provide a “village” providing support when it’s needed.

Families need links with the community to function better, giving children additional supports and role models.

We support people to increase their connections with friends, family, services and culture.

We want a wide range of affordable, accessible participation options for everyone.

Everyone needs hope for the future

We believe that having high expectations gives people the chance to fulfil their potential. People who live in generational disadvantage can believe that change is impossible – we know that people can improve their circumstances with the right support and opportunities.

Children need goals, dreams and positive feedback (as well as appropriate boundaries) to learn and grow.

We work with clients. We encourage high expectations, realistic goals and stepped approaches to reaching them. We support people to succeed when they need our help, and we celebrate wins along the way.

We want a system that aims high for everyone; that encourages everyone to achieve their potential.